Missouri Classical Music News and Notes

Local pianist Harold O’Neal was at a workshop in Lindrith, N.M., in 2006 when, like author Alex Haley in his book Roots, he began to examine his family tree.

O’Neal, 26, was able to trace his ancestors all the way back to his great-great-great-grandfather, who was a slave who lived somewhere in Texas. Although he was unable to learn the man’s name, O’Neal did discover many other relatives along the way.

Eventually O’Neal was asked to create music to go along with his family discovery. The result is a CD released in February 2007 called “Charlie’s Suite: Cries and Whispers From My Great-Great-Great-Grandfather.”

“Each track on the record is about a different time period and a different person on my father’s side of the family,” O’Neal explained recently.

Arranged as a suite in three parts and 13 movements, it tells the story of the composer’s family, beginning with his great-great grandfather, a man who first came to this country from Africa, against his will. The suite is interspersed with pieces that reflect social and familial changes with tempos that reflect the mood. The six and a half minutes of “Middle Passage,” for instance, manages to interpret the feel of the unforgiving sea, and on “Felix Bebop” the feel, while not overtly bop in nature, reflects the energy of the era. . . .

Sections are dedicated to his great grandfather, who was something of a vagabond, and to his father, who was a Black Panther in Kansas. The story is told in a musically impressive and fascinating voice, with both performers shining throughout.

• Liner Notes and sheet music from Charlie's Suite
  
• Charlie's Suite on Emusic.com
  
• Order the CD from O'Neal's web site